


runaway bunny

by iariru



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Childhood Memories, Cuddling & Snuggling, F/F, Fluff, Girls Kissing, Kissing, Light Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Nicknames, Plushies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:28:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23192419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iariru/pseuds/iariru
Summary: A day off leads to Nozomi learning some new things about Nico. As it turns out, there is much, much more behind her idol image than just "cuteness."
Relationships: Toujou Nozomi/Yazawa Nico
Comments: 2
Kudos: 45





	runaway bunny

**Author's Note:**

> 2 week quarantine means i have no excuse for not writing  
> this one made me sob while writing it lmfao

“Have I ever told you that you’re very cute?”

Nico doesn’t look up at the sound of Nozomi’s voice, but she does curl deeper into Nozomi’s embrace, hoping the other girl’s bosom will effectively hide the pink blush rippling through her cheeks.

A day off for them typically means cuddling in one of their beds at one of their houses, taking on-and-off naps and just enjoying each other’s presences. Nozomi’s apartment is usually the go-to choice, since every time they try at Nico’s place, one of her siblings inevitably comes barging in demanding she fix them a snack or inviting the two of them for a game of hide and seek. But Nico’s mom opted to take the little ones on an all-day trip to the zoo, so her room is theirs until the evening rolls around. Nico reasons that her mother had done so on purpose, knowing the girl would want an entire day to spend with her girlfriend, but she didn’t ask. The knowing smile her mom gave her on her way out the door was enough to confirm her suspicions.

Nico’s cheek is pressed right to Nozomi’s sternum, muffling her speech as she grumbles, “Of course I’m cute.” It’s such a Nico-like way to respond to a compliment, so predictable, which is why Nozomi giggles as she brings a hand up to pull through Nico’s dark locks.

“You are, but I feel like I’ve never told you that. Like, to your face.”

“Oh.” Nico fidgets a bit, lifting one of her legs to curl it around Nozomi’s waist. “Do you think I’m cute?”

There is more to the question, but Nico doesn’t say it out loud, and Nozomi doesn’t need her to. “I do, and not just when you’re in your idol persona.” Nozomi likes Nico the best when she’s interacting with her siblings and being a loving older sister, when she’s flustered by Nozomi’s romantic gestures but trying to hide it, when she’s asleep and softly snoring and has a little bit of drool hanging from the corner of her pretty pink lips. That’s when she’s the realest version of Nico, and the realest Nico is the cutest Nico to Nozomi. This all goes unsaid, but again, Nico knows what she means.

Her mouth spreads into a smile, and her fingers toy with the lilac silk on Nozomi’s pajama top. “Mm.”

“You’re like a bunny. A little Nico bunny.”

“A Nico bunny?”

“You like bunnies, right? You seem to associate yourself with them a lot. So, I guess you’re my little Nico bunny.” She punctuates the new nickname with a quick kiss to Nico’s forehead. Nico’s already pink flushed skin deepens into red, and no doubt Nozomi can feel the heat rising in her face, what with Nico’s face being right against her chest.

“What is it with you and bunnies, anyway?” Nozomi asks after a few more moments of comfortable silence.

Nozomi’s right. Nico and rabbits go together like Nozomi and tarot cards, or Hanayo and rice, or Kotori and birds. Though Kotori’s case is a little different - her name literally means “baby bird,” so connecting her to bird imagery is kind of a no-brainer. Nico’s whole rabbit thing is more personal.

She thinks back to all the times she’s unnecessarily incorporated a pair of bunny ears into her idol costumes - the light-up headphones for that arcade shoot, her maid getup for the _Approaching Tightly With Love_ promotional video, her kigurumi and carrot-shaped microphone that she used to perform _Nico Puri_. Even the plush charm she always keeps dangling off her bag is a little pink rabbit. Most fans will just chalk it up to simply being additional cuteness factor, and while that’s definitely part of it, there is a deeper meaning to her love of the fluffy creatures, one she’s never been strong enough to admit to the public, or even to anyone besides her own mother.

“Is it because bunnies are cute, and you’re also cute?” Nozomi smirks, bringing a hand to slide along Nico’s jawline.

“It’s not just that,” Nico admits, her eyes drifting to another plush bunny that stays perched on her shelf, nestled safely between her nesoberi plush dolls of Nozomi and herself. Nozomi had won that particular rabbit at the arcade the same day of their cyber-themed shoot and gifted it to Nico afterwards, joking that it was their daughter. Nico would protect that plush with her life.

Nico turns her gaze back to Nozomi, who’s looking at her with curiosity. Nico takes a breath.

“When I was a little girl, I had this picture book… my papa would always read it to me. It was called _The Runaway Bunny_. It's about this little baby bunny, and he wants to run away from home. But no matter where he says he’s gonna go, his mom tells him she’s still gonna be there for him, right behind him, supporting him and protecting him and looking after him.” Nico’s hands have snuck around Nozomi’s torso and now trace up and down her spine, a soothing motion to the taller girl. “And in the end, the bunny tells his mom he sees no point in running away, so he’s just gonna stay right where he is.”

Nozomi continues playing with Nico’s hair, not saying a word but listening intently.

“It was the last thing papa and I ever did together. One night, he was reading me the book before bed. Then I went to sleep, and when I woke up in the morning, I found mama crying… and then she had to tell me that papa was gone.” Nico chews her lip. “I was really sad at first. I cried a lot. And then I remembered that book. He would read it to me to remind me that he’d always be there for me, and that wouldn’t change just because he was gone, right?”

Nozomi halts the stroking of Nico’s hair, her hands stopping dead in their tracks but remaining where they are, her fingers entangled in the sleek black locks.

“He may not be around anymore… but he didn’t completely go away. He’s still watching over me all the time. I guess that’s why I use so many bunny-related motifs… as a reminder to myself that he’s still here. And to show him that I didn’t forget, either.”

In lieu of a verbal response, Nozomi dips her head down, closing the small distance between her and Nico’s mouths. Nico’s long lashes slam down on what would have been melancholic garnet eyes as she kisses back with not much force, but slightly more than what Nozomi was providing in the first place. The raspberry tint of Nico’s chapstick nicely compliments the taste of cocoa butter on Nozomi’s own lips, and they stay there like that for a while, kissing each other softly but with conviction as their hands slip and stumble around each others’ bodies, blindly searching for one another while the girls’ eyes are closed.

When they pull back, Nozomi brushes the backs of her nails against the porcelain skin of Nico’s cheekbones, smiling at her warmly. “You’re so strong, Nicocchi. I’m really, really proud of you.”

The smaller girl can feel her eyes stinging at those words, but she refuses to break in front of Nozomi. Today is supposed to be a relaxing day for both of them, and Nico won’t allow them to go off-course just because she happened to expose some of the wounds of her past to her girlfriend. She throws her arms around Nozomi’s waist, bringing their bodies closer as the other girl coils her arms around Nico’s back tightly, protectively.

“I know you’ll run after me, right, Nozomi?”


End file.
